The Most Influential Weapons of History

[This Side Up]

The introduction of rifling in the barrels.
The introduction of percussion caps being struck by a hammer.

Both innovations influenced ALL modern firearms as we know them.

 

[Castiel]

5.56 is a NATO standard, before that there were different standards across the forces, ammunition standardisation has been one of the key influences on modern warfare, you only have to look at the American civil war for the benefits of this. The 5.56 was also chosen because of its injuring capabilities, changing in some way what the weapon is designed for.

No disrespect on this but you're lecturing someone who doesn't rely on Google for this, as I stated 5.56 AND 7.62 are both NATO standards and each has it's trade off's. 18 years experience tells me that I preferred the 7.62 and while I know the competing arguments over the relative pro's and con's, my confusion stems from your inclusion in most influential weapons and not what the difference is.

 

[Cosimo]

Well that's just not true.

swords have only been about for around 6% of human history.

Swords have been used from about 3300BC to around 1900AD and that is most of the time weapons have been used.

 

[Swi1ch]

If you're looking for weapons that changed warfare, you can't miss out the first rifled barreled muzzleloaders (Not sure what the first one was), the first machinegun and the M1 Garand.

 

[Castiel]

Trebuchet/Ballista

Radar.

English Longbow.

The Hoplite Spear.

The Spencer Carbine.

Mustard (and related) Gas

Warships.

Mark One Tank.

poison.

Fokker Airplane WW1.

Predator Drone.

Harqubus firearm.

The Bow and Arrow......

 

[LabR@t]

So swords have been around longer than rocks...k.

manufactured weapon as apposed to a random object then yes.

 

[Chives]

Panzer IV Tank. Pretty much set the standard for tanks.
They where still being used by the Israelis years later.

 

[Biohazard]

Ballistic Nuclear Weapons.

No other weapon has changed the world or influenced it in such an innate and complex way as the Nuclear Bomb.

This no doubt.

Unless we are unfortunate to invoke an even worse terror on ourselves in future, even then I don't think anything would have such a marked difference as pre-nuke/proliferation.

 

[Nitefly]

I'm pretty disgusted that nobody has mentioned the RCP90 yet.

 

[Orcish-Horde]

Reproduction.

 

[Cosimo]

Trebuchet/Ballista

Radar.

English Longbow.

The Hoplite Spear.

The Spencer Carbine.

Mustard (and related) Gas

Warships.

Mark One Tank.

poison.

Fokker Airplane WW1.

Predator Drone.

Harqubus firearm.

The Bow and Arrow......

You forgot the cannon.

 

[kwerk]

You sure? cause i thought all the conventions we'd signed up to stated that bullets should not fragment nor deform significantly in the body.

As long as it's not hollow point it seems to be alright. 5.56 FMJ still fragments.

America is issuing their marines even more lethal hollow-point... sorry I mean "open-tip" NOT hollow-point ammunition to work better at the slower speed from shorter barrel that are popular now (like the M4).

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/02/marine_SOST_ammo_021510w/

The last part of that article goes in to the hague convention and legal semantics.

 

[Schizo]

the chainsaw in lfd2

 

[Castiel]

You forgot the cannon.

Oh yeah, and the cannon......

 

[Scania]

Wallis’s Bombs - Big and Bouncy!


http://www.sirbarneswallis.com/Bombs.htm

 

[VFM Addict]

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
- Voltaire.

But of course Voltaire would have defended to his last breath someone's right to proclaim those absurdities. What a guy

 

[Danthus]

Ballistic Nuclear Weapons.

No other weapon has changed the world or influenced it in such an innate and complex way as the Nuclear Bomb.

What about lies?

 

[Tombstone]

Most influential weapons in history?

Mans Hands. Without which all the other things listed in this thread would be harmless.

 

[GothicCorpse]

Tank and helicopter!

 

[Castiel]

What about lies?

Ideology.